Morning routines, evening rituals, investment insights and spending basics. The habits of some of the most successful entrepreneurs and CEOs aren’t that foreign or difficult to implement in your own life. In fact, they’re trending. Tim Ferriss, Tony Robbins, and Lewis Howes are all publishing books on the morning habits of the most celebrated individuals of our times.
We took a look at what everyone was writing and saying and doing to see where there was overlap. Find the condensed ten best habits from any of those books here. You’re welcome.
Get uncomfortable. CEOs challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone and out of fear. Too often we can be stuck in hesitation, or stuck in comfortability, we don’t realize it’s hurting us from growing -- in any direction. Try something new, or as Lewis Howes says, do one thing every day that you’re afraid of.
Experimentation is more than a buzzword. We’ve read it all -- disruption, synergies, innovation -- but one buzzword you need to pay attention to and implement in your life is the idea of experimentation. Today, traditional tactics like planning and research matter less. What matter is how fast you can start testing, and how willing you are to experiment. Nothing is set in stone in the digital age, and the ability to pressure-test any idea, message, product, service, company, you name it, is at your fingertips. ABC means always be closing, but not today. Always be experimenting. Companies want to hire people willing to think outside of the box, but they’ll actually give the job to the individual they see takes action.
Cultivate creativity. You could be majoring in finance with plans for Wall Street, or getting ready for over six years of schooling with a focus on medical. Either way, in any field, creativity is a skillset you should (and can) learn and master, versus something only few are born with. Harnessing your creativity will allow you to approach problems from different perspectives, find alternative answers to needs, and afford you opportunities to experiment (see above).
Read. Every serial entrepreneur, top 10 investor, or mega famous celebrity has a giant stack of books they get through every month. Believe it. It’s hard to imagine when you feel time-crunched taking on 18 hours -- so how can they make time to read books for fun? Because the most successful make time for it. It’s built in their schedule to spend 20 minutes each evening reading, or bringing a book on a plane instead of watch movies. Make it a habit by scheduling it.
Minimize decisions. Steve Jobs wore the same outfit on stage for a reason. Automate parts of your life that don’t require intensive decision-making, so you can use that brain juice for when it matters most, and when you need to think critically.
Don’t say no. To invitations, events, networking opportunities, or cocktail hour. You never know who you’ll meet, what connections you’ll form that will send you on a trajectory that will change your life. Say no to encroachments on your time that won’t bring you value, because yes, that is something you need to guard. But never say no to a scenario that might open doors and create opportunity. Better yet, learn to identify what are and aren’t the types of scenarios you’ll derive value out of.
Fake it till you make it. Sort of. The old theory goes that if you’re not “blank,” (insert adjective, like confident, funny, extroverted, etc.) if you pretend to possess that quality, eventually you will. And that’s true. But in a similar way, it goes for jobs, roles, and desires. Want to be the news director at your college’s paper? Act like you already are. Applying for a job you feel unqualified for? Imagine you’re already in the role. By thinking like the role or job you desire is already yours, you get closer to gaining it. Think “The Secret,” manifestation, or general placebo effect.
Meditate. Because most successful individuals have some form of meditation in their daily routine, and you’ve already heard enough about how important it is for everything from stress reduction to defeating chronic illnesses. Which leads to…
Gratitude. You HAVE to reflect on what you have and be grateful for its abundance, before you start desiring more. Along with meditation, the most successful individuals all said they had a gratitude practice. Whether that’s thinking of three things you’re thankful for before you go to bed or journaling about the wins of the day, this one is a game-changer for your perspective and how you see the world.
Get up early. Just saying. It tends to be a commonality among the rich and successful.
